The present invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for enabling a horizontal landing of a flying body by using a so-called paraglider which is stored in a space of the flying body for ejection during the landing operation. Advantageously the paraglider is stored in the upper portion of the fuselage.
The use of parachutes of landing or rather for providing a braking action for the aircraft during the landing is well known in the art and several modifications are known. Primarily vertical landing methods are involved, whereby the parachute functions as a so-called "aircraft carrier" which, in a sense, deposits the craft or vehicle on the ground. These methods have a number of disadvantages which to some extent are rather substantial. On the one hand, these prior art landing methods require parachutes of very large diameter. To avoid such large diameter parachutes it is also known to use instead a plurality of smaller parachutes to satisfy the requirement. Another advantage of the vertical landing approach is the large landing shock upon impact. In most instances such landing shock cannot be taken up by the shock absorber system of the landing gear since the impact shock cannot be predetermined to any reliable extent, especially since the air and lift conditions prevailing at or above the landing spot are subject to continuous change. In order to avoid or at least minimize the danger of a crash landing in any event, it is necessary in connection with prior art methods to install over-dimensioned shock absorber systems which are correspondingly expensive. Such over-dimensioned shock absorber systems cause a substantial structural modification, especially in small aircraft.
Yet another disadvantage of prior art methods is seen in that the landing location cannot be exactly determined due to the uncertainties involved in the floating or hovering toward the ground. Thus, in most instances it is necessary in connection with prior art landing methods of this type to perform an expensive operation for recovering the flying body. Besides, the relatively expensive parachutes are exposed to a substantial danger of destruction due to the just mentioned uncertainties and lack of precision in the landing operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,920 discloses an emergency landing apparatus for commercial aircraft comprising a plurality of parachutes which are stored in chambers arranged in the topside of the fuselage for ejection. Additional parachutes are arranged in the vertical tail surfaces and in the horizontal elevator structure. These additional parachutes also serve for the purpose of providing a braking action. Even if one disregards the substantial expense for the large number of parachutes and for their storing and ejection facilities, the above mentioned disadvantages applicable to the vertical landing parachute, apply equally to the just mentioned emergency landing apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,408 discloses an ejectable arrangement of parachute and drag parachute means comprising a plurality of parachutes operatively connected to a retro-rocket. Both systems are connected by means of ropes to the flying body in such a manner that the main forces extend through the center of gravity of the flying body. The parachutes serve as landing brakes during the initial stage of the landing operation. Upon reaching of the intended limiting area, a sensor causes the explosive separation of one of the parachute holding ropes so that the drag parachutes and the retro-rocket may take up automatically a vertical position with the flying body to thereby enable a pure vertical landing.
However, even this system as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,408 is not quite capable of satisfactorily solving the above mentioned problems because in spite of the expensive sensor arrangement a precisely pinpointed landing is not possible anymore at the instant when the vertical parachute position is taken up. This is so because wind conditions and other factors still play an uncontrollable role. In any event, this prior art does not disclose anything regarding additional control means and so forth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,259 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,583 disclose the use of control parachutes in connection with a flying body. However, the prior art devices are not capable of performing a horizontal parachute landing because the parachute arrangements are used as flying equipment so to speak and not as an additional lift producing means during the landing approach.